Tag: Mike Norvell

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Sports Tiger Blue

AAC Championship: #7 UCF 56, Tigers 41

Make it 25 wins in a row for the UCF Knights.

Led by their backup quarterback, the Knights overcame a 17-point halftime deficit to win their second straight American Athletic Conference championship. Filling in for the injured McKenzie Milton (the AAC’s Offensive Player of the Year), D.J. Mack passed for a pair of touchdowns and ran for four more to keep UCF’s record unblemished (12-0) and set up a likely New Year’s Six bowl game for a second year in a row. The loss ends a four-game winning streak for the Tigers.

Memphis capitalized on three UCF turnovers in the first half and roared to an early lead behind its sublime running back tandem of Darrell Henderson and Patrick Taylor. Henderson ran for more than 200 yards and three touchdowns before halftime. Taylor scored on a 70-yard touchdown run and, with 118 yards for the game, surpassed 1,000 yards for the season. (Henderson’s season total is now 1,909. It’s the first time in Tiger history a team has had two 1,000-yard rushers in the same season.) Henderson’s three touchdowns give him 25 this year, a new Memphis single-season record.

Just as they did in a win at the Liberty Bowl in October, the Knights elevated play on both sides of the ball after halftime. They scored touchdowns on five straight possessions, four of them runs of no more than five yards by Mack. The Tiger offense, meanwhile, ran into a wall, settling for a single Riley Patterson field goal in the second half.

Memphis gained 583 yards, but UCF accumulated 698. The Tigers rushed for 401, the Knights 350.

The victory gives UCF 13 straight in its series with the Tigers dating back to 2005. The Tigers’ only win came in 1990, when the Knights competed as a I-AA program.

Now 8-5, Memphis will learn its bowl-game destination Sunday.

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From My Seat Sports

Memphis Tigers Football: Lessons Learned (So Far)

CREDIT: Larry Kuzniewski

When the Memphis Tigers take the field at East Carolina this Saturday, they will have gone 27 days without tasting a victory. That’s a long time in the course of a college football season, merely three months to separate programs with Top 25 aspirations from those happy with a mid-December bowl berth. Having lost two straight games — a heartbreaker to UCF and a thorough teeth-cleaning at Missouri — Memphis (4-4) will start its final third of the season knowing the Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl may be this season’s pinnacle, in which case we’ll toss out the word “pinnacle.” What lessons can we take from the Tigers’ first eight games? Here are four.
Larry Kuzniewski

Darrell Henderson

• A soft September did this team no favors. I sat in the Liberty Bowl press box on October 6th as the Tigers wiped the field with UConn Huskies and had a rather uncomfortable conversation with another reporter, one who’s been covering the Tigers even longer than I have. “Who is this team? What’s their strength? Can Brady White beat a team with premium recruits? Is the defense as bad as it looked at Tulane?”

To be asking such questions in October is scary. Those of us who watch every snap of every Tiger game felt unfamiliar with a team almost halfway through its regular season. The Missouri spanking would have been better — big picture — had it taken place in early September. Coaches need to learn what they have, too. Whatever adjustments (to scheme or personnel) defensive coordinator Chris Ball might make will come too late to impact much of the season, and way too late to impact the Tigers’ chances for reaching the American Athletic Conference title game.

• The Tigers have dropped a notch in speed. This is the easiest team-wide component to measure on a football team. Strength and “football IQ” get lost in the mass of bodies on every play. But as one team outruns another — be it on offense or defense — games are won and lost. And the Memphis defense is surrendering big plays as though it’s down a man. After pulling within four points (21-17) at Mizzou, the Tigers gave up four touchdowns in less than nine minutes. A turnover played a role, but three of the Missouri scores covered at least 44 yards. Stare at the film as long as you’d like, but I’ll summarize: Missouri players outran Memphis players, all the way to the end zone. (Let’s acknowledge the SEC-AAC gap while we’re here. However much the Memphis program has grown in recent years, a mid-level SEC program is of a different talent stripe.)

• Memphis is not a bad football team. I’ll point you to the Tiger record book and circle recent records: 2-10 (2006), 2-10 (2009), 1-11 (2010), 2-10 (2011), 3-9 (2013). Memphis has fielded some boot-licking football teams since the turn of the century, but the 2018 bunch is not among them. With merely seven points against East Carolina, the Tigers will move into the top 10 teams in the program’s history as measured by points scored, and with at least three more full games to play. But as of today, the Tigers’ biggest win this season came over a Connecticut team that’s 1-7 and staring up from the AAC’s East Division cellar. This must change. A win over East Carolina (2-5) would do it, but barely. Memphis needs to circle the Houston game (November 23rd) in thick, red ink. The regular-season finale at the Liberty Bowl (the day after Thanksgiving) is the last chance the U of M will have to beat a team with real claws.

• Darrell Henderson is mortal. Proof came with a hamstring injury in the Missouri game, one that sidelined the Tigers’ star tailback after only four carries and 15 yards. Henderson’s in a virtual dead heat with Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor for the national lead in rushing, trailing in total yards (1,155 to 1,148) and yards per game (144.4 to 143.5). But Henderson’s yards per carry (10.1) dwarfs Taylor’s (6.4). Needless to say, Henderson faces a lighter schedule in November than does Taylor, so this will be a fun race to follow, particularly if Henderson is fully recovered from the hamstring tweak. (Coach Mike Norvell has indicated Henderson will play at East Carolina.)

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Sports Tiger Blue

Missouri 65, Tigers 33

In a matchup of Tigers Saturday afternoon, Missouri asserted itself as dramatically superior to the visitors from Memphis. In rolling up 646 yards against an overmatched Memphis defense, Missouri scored the most points against the Tigers in 39 years. (Florida State beat the Tigers 66-17 on November 17, 1979.)

Memphis quarterback Brady White entered the contest having thrown but one interception in seven games. He threw two in the loss, the first of them returned 42 yards for a touchdown by Christian Holmes early in the first quarter to give Mizzou a 14-0 lead. The Tigers closed the deficit to four points (21-17) early in the second quarter when White connected with Tony Pollard for a 30-yard touchdown. But Missouri scored four touchdowns over the final nine minutes of the first half to put the game out of reach. Two of the touchdowns were scored by Albert Okwuegbunam, who caught a third scoring strike from Mizzou quarterback Drew Lock in the third quarter.

Okwuegbunam finished the game with 159 yards on six receptions. Lock completed 23 of 29 passes for 350 yards and four touchdowns.

The country’s leading rusher, Memphis tailback Darrell Henderson, was limited to four carries (for 15 yards) by a hamstring injury and did not play in the second half. Patrick Taylor rushed for 103 yards and scored a pair of touchdowns. White completed only 15 of 37 passes for 208 yards and two touchdowns. Damonte Coxie caught eight of the passes for 111 yards and a score.

The loss is the 28th in 31 games against SEC foes for Memphis since the Tigers upset of Tennessee in 1996. Their next SEC tilt will be against Ole Miss in the 2019 season opener. (Missouri will visit Memphis in 2023.)

The loss drops Memphis to 4-4 while Missouri improves to 4-3. The local Tigers have a bye week before traveling to East Carolina where they’ll resume American Athletic Conference play on November 3rd.

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Sports Tiger Blue

Three Thoughts on Tiger Football

CREDIT: Larry Kuzniewski

• The Tigers couldn’t have scripted a better opponent for this Saturday’s game at the Liberty Bowl. It’s both a recovery game (after the disaster at Tulane) and a tune-up (with UCF on the way) for Memphis, and the Tigers need to hit a reset button on their season. UConn (1-4) has allowed the most points (267) in the American Athletic Conference (AAC), and by some distance (SMU has surrendered 190).

The Huskies have been outscored by an average of 53.4 to 21.6. (The lone game UConn won: a 56-49 shootout with Rhode Island.) Connecticut’s defense has allowed a staggering 663 yards per game, dead last among the 130 FBS teams. (At 129 is Oregon State, and they’ve only allowed 543.6 per game.)

But here’s the catch from the other sideline: Memphis now looks like a soft spot on the Husky schedule. Their losses have been to UCF, Boise State, Syracuse, and Cincinnati. Tiger coach Mike Norvell has emphasized all week how his team can overlook no one. They better not this week, because an undermanned (on paper) foe will be stoked for this clash.

• To his credit, Norvell has owned his team’s performance at Tulane. He’s come across, honestly, as the most disappointed “fan” in Memphis . . . and that’s precisely as it should be. From Monday’s press conference: “Part of the reason we are in this situation are things we have allowed to take place and allowed to happen, and it’s hurt us in playing to the top level of our ability. We’re going to continue to work. We had a good practice [Sunday]. Everyone is owning where we are and what we’ve done to this point.”
Larry Kuzniewski

Mike Norvell


With any painful loss, it’s not so much the what, but the why that a coaching staff must address. The defense was significantly short-handed by injuries, particularly the line. (The secondary, minus two starters, looked significantly slower than it has in recent years.)  Tulane’s defense managed to bottle up the country’s top rusher, Darrell Henderson. Tiger quarterback Brady White was unable to stretch the Green Wave defense by connecting with receivers downfield. These and other factors made for the ugliest outing in Norvell’s three seasons as a head coach. Time for that age-old cliche: It’s not how hard you fall, but how quickly you get up.

• What has happened to Mid-South football? Memphis fans are pouting over an 0-2 start in the AAC. Ole Miss, Mississippi State, and Arkansas are all 0-2 in the SEC. Tennessee is 0-2 in league play and Vanderbilt 0-1. Six regional programs with a combined league record of 0-11. There’s Alabama, of course. (Always Alabama.) LSU, Georgia, and Auburn are also Top-10 teams. But I’ve bumped into some slump-shouldered football fans as October has arrived. Better days are surely ahead. If nothing else, I know five SEC programs Memphis athletic director Tom Bowen should consider scheduling.

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Sports Tiger Blue

Tigers 52, South Alabama 35

CREDIT: Larry Kuzniewski

“That was a game we needed,” said Memphis football coach Mike Norvell Saturday night at the Liberty Bowl, after his Tigers improved to 3-1 on the season. “We obviously didn’t play our best game. There are a lot of things we need to get corrected. But we got to see the heart of this football team.”
Larry Kuzniewski

Darrell Henderson

The Jaguars (of the Sun Belt Conference) knocked the Tiger defense around, particularly in the first half. An 11-yard touchdown pass from USA quarterback Evan Orth to Zac Crosby with less than a minute to play in the first half tied the score at 21 and left Norvell and his staff with some motivating to do at halftime. It wasn’t until the Tiger defense held the Jaguars on downs inside the Memphis 10-yard line — with the U of M leading 31-27 — that momentum felt firmly in favor of the home team. An ensuing 92-yard drive culminated in a 16-yard touchdown scamper by Tony Pollard (on a reverse) and provided the Tigers with enough to secure the victory.

“It was a very physical game,” said Norvell. “At halftime, we really challenged our guys to show what we’re made of. In the second half, we didn’t play a clean game. But they found a way to respond in every situation. They battled. I’m really pleased with the big guys on the offensive side of the ball.”

The Tigers surrendered 467 yards to the Jaguars, considerably more than they’d allowed any of their first three opponents. Orth completed 24 of 32 passes for 360 yards and three touchdowns. Wideout Jamarius Way stretched the Memphis secondary, hauling in ten passes for 185 yards and a touchdown.
Larry Kuzniewski

Brady White

However staggered the Memphis defense may have been, the Tigers had Darrell Henderson to counter. The junior tailback got Memphis on the scoreboard with a 13-yard run midway through the first quarter to tie the game at 7. He scored again on an electric 54-yard sprint with 11:16 left in the game that gave Memphis a 45-27 lead. For the game, Henderson rushed for 188 yards on 22 carries, giving him 709 rushing yards in four games to go with nine total touchdowns.

Quarterback Brady White balanced the Tiger attack with 292 yards through the air, completing 22 of 29 attempts and two touchdowns, including an off-balance toss to Damonte Coxie who made an acrobatic catch in the back of the end zone in the third quarter for his fourth touchdown of the season. Coxie caught eight passes for 113 yards.

Curtis Akins led the Memphis defense with 11 tackles and sophomore cornerback T.J. Carter had seven solo stops. But Carter acknowledged the game is not a model for what remains on the Tiger schedule. “It goes to show you can’t under-estimate any team,” said Carter. “I feel like we prepared, but it’s a lesson learned. We’ve got a dominant defense, but today we took a step back. Gave up too many points. Most of that was on the back end. I’ll take full responsibility for the secondary.”

Despite its struggles, the Tiger defense recovered a pair of fumbles, including one inside the Memphis 10-yard line. Memphis did not commit a turnover.

Looking ahead, Norvell emphasized the importance of his team — both offense and defense — “winning their one-on-ones.” He applauded White’s interception-free outing and mentioned the versatility of his running game, led by the dynamic Henderson. “We wanted to be able to run the football,” said Norvell, “but we also wanted to create some space [for the passing game].”

The Tigers have a short week to prepare for their next game, a Friday-night visit to Tulane. With the exception of Missouri (on the road) on October 20th, the balance of the Memphis schedule (eight games) will be American Athletic Conference opposition. Navy lost to SMU Saturday, leaving the Midshipmen even with Memphis in league losses with one apiece.

NOTE: Senior pass-rusher Jackson Dillon left the game with an undisclosed injury and Norvell did not have an update during his postgame press conference.

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Cover Feature News

Many Happy Returns! Memphis Tiger Football Preview 2018

CREDIT: Larry Kuzniewski

Here come the expectations. After decades as a college football afterthought, the University of Memphis Tigers open their 2018 season as front-runners. The program may have lost an All-American receiver (Anthony Miller is now the property of the Chicago Bears) and a 4,000-yard passer (quarterback Riley Ferguson), but these are not your older brother’s Memphis Tigers. Having finished in the nation’s Top 25 twice since the 2014 season, the U of M aims for a second straight West Division title in the American Athletic Conference . . . and that’s for starters. A conference title and berth in a New Year’s Six bowl game are on the table for discussion.

Third-year coach Mike Norvell wouldn’t have it any other way.

“There are going to be a lot of eyes watching everything we do,” says Norvell, winner of 18 games since his arrival before the 2016 season. “The responsibility is that much greater. It’s a compliment to our program, and a compliment to our personnel. And it’s a great example for future Tigers. People recognize the progression that’s occurred here. But we haven’t done anything yet. We have to put in the work that’s necessary. You have to remember some games where we came up short, and the little details that will allow us to continue the push to be the best version of ourselves.”

Larry Kuzniewski

Tony Pollard

There are two glaring absences from the Tigers’ offensive depth chart as the season gets underway. Gone are Anthony Miller (only the fourth Tiger to earn first-team All-America recognition from the Associated Press) and Ferguson (the first Tiger to pass for more than 4,000 yards in a single season). Don’t expect any two individuals to approximate Miller’s and Ferguson’s production of a year ago. Instead, look for a distribution of responsibility among a few returning players, some of them with their own All-America aspirations. Starting with Tony Pollard.

The Memphis program recently went 19 seasons (1997-2015) without returning a single kickoff for a touchdown. Pollard — the pride of Melrose High School — returned two as a redshirt-freshman in 2016 (the first Tiger ever to score on a pair of kickoffs in a single season), then returned four last season, putting him on the cusp of breaking the national career record (seven, held by three players) and with two seasons yet to play. Pollard averaged an astounding 40.0 yards on his 22 kickoff returns and accumulated 1,647 all-purpose yards (rushing, receiving, and kick returns) on his way to a second AAC Special Teams Player of the Year award.

“Tony has made a dynamic impact on our return game,” says Norvell. “His role in the offense expanded last year, and it’s been great to see his fundamental development. He’s such a versatile player. And he’s become a master at technique.”

Pollard preparing to return a kickoff will be a considerable silver lining after a Tiger opponent scores this fall. And having already returned three kickoffs 100 yards, Pollard considers every kickoff a few quick strides from six points.

“Once I see I’m going to catch [a kickoff], I automatically think it’s going to the house,” says Pollard. “That’s how our kickoff unit thinks. It’s having faith in everyone up front, that they’ll hold their blocks long enough for you to get through. And they have trust in me to hit the hole [they create], and not just bounce outside every time. There’s a lot to it — a lot of coaching — behind the scenes.”

Erik Williams

Sophomore T.J. Carter

Pollard would like to surpass 2,000 all-purpose yards this fall and sees no reason the new fair-catch rule for kickoffs will slow him down. “There may be more pooch kicks this year,” says Pollard, “but our coach is a genius, so he’ll find some way around it.”

“It’s hard to take momentum away from another team,” says senior center Drew Kyser. “And that’s what Tony does; he changes the game.”

Perhaps the only teammate who might challenge Pollard in a footrace is junior tailback Darrell Henderson. The native of Batesville, Mississippi, averaged a staggering 8.9 yards per carry last season on his way to 1,154 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns (two through the air). He’s a preseason all-conference selection and will play a critical role in support of a rookie quarterback. Junior Patrick Taylor (866 yards rushing and 14 touchdowns in 2017) will get his share of carries as well.

About that rookie quarterback. The Tigers opened preseason camp with an open competition between graduate-transfer Brady White and sophomore David Moore (Ferguson’s backup a year ago). But on August 21st, Moore announced he intends to transfer, essentially handing the gig to White.

Originally recruited by Norvell to play at Arizona State (where Norvell was then an assistant coach), White hasn’t thrown a pass since suffering a foot injury three games into his 2016 season with the Sun Devils. He’s a pro-style passer, once ranked 54th in the country as a high school senior by Rivals.com. With Moore removed from the depth chart, freshmen Brady McBride and Connor Adair will vie for backup duties.

Larry Kuzniewski

Henderson

In Miller’s absence, White’s primary targets will be sophomore Damonte Coxie (21 catches and a 15.4-yard average last season) and a pair of tight ends with all-conference hopes: juniors Joey Magnifico and Sean Dykes. The two combined for 36 catches and six touchdowns last season.

The Tiger offense will have the luxury of a veteran line, one that features three of the team’s eight seniors: Kyser (38 career starts), Trevon Tate (34 starts), and Roger Joseph. While only a junior, Dustin Woodard has 24 starts under his belt and will help in blasting holes for Tiger ball-carriers. “You have to have five guys who play as one unit,” stresses Norvell. “I like the leadership we have; it can be a strength. If they play to the level they’re capable of, it will make everyone around them better.”

The Tigers allowed 21 sacks in 2017, a low number — good for 37th in the country — but a figure that could be lowered this fall with a larger emphasis on the running game. (Memphis threw the ball 488 times last season and ran the ball on 453 plays.)

Kyser cuts to the chase when asked about his team’s status as favorites. He’s enjoyed 27 wins in three years and sees no reason the program’s run might be slowed. “Our goal is to be undefeated at the end of the year and national champions,” he says. “[Our opponents] know we’re coming. We’re gonna keep fighting till the end.” Kyser intends to be a more vocal leader, every offensive play starting with the ball in his hands. “I wanted to be a quarterback, but God blessed me with 300 pounds. I take pride in being the quarterback of the offensive line. The coaches trust me to make calls at the line of scrimmage.”

The Tigers averaged 45.5 points per game last year, second in the country only to AAC champ UCF. (Memphis hosts the Knights on October 13th.) But the Tiger defense allowed 32.5 points per game, 102nd among 130 FBS teams. Presuming a drop, at least slightly, from last year’s offensive production, the Tigers will need to shave a few points off their average allowed to harbor thoughts of another 10-win season.

Larry Kuzniewski

Coach Mike Norvell

“Last year was tough [on our defense],” says Norvell. “We had six starters who went down. We had to force some young guys into action, maybe before they were truly ready. We knew we had a top-notch offense, and we needed to get them the ball.” The 2017 Tigers finished third in the country in turnover margin, gaining 31 (via interception or fumble recovery) while losing only 16.

The 2018 defense could be led from the secondary, as sophomore cornerback T.J. Carter played a pivotal role a year ago with five interceptions on his way to Freshman All-America recognition and the AAC’s Rookie of the Year award. “I’m ready to become a leader,” says Carter. “I’ve seen what it takes to get to the [AAC] championship game, and it’s not easy. I wasn’t as vocal last year, but I’m learning the whole defense. With a year of experience, even in the spring, I’m more comfortable with the play calls. You don’t have to think as much, especially on the back end.” Carter touts the growth of a classmate, La’Andre Thomas, and says Thomas could be a new force in the Tiger secondary, likely from the safety position.

Senior linebacker Curtis Akins led the 2017 Tigers with 88 tackles (60 of them solo) and rejects the idea that Genard Avery’s departure (he was drafted by the Cleveland Browns) will leave a void. “If they don’t score, they can’t win,” says Akins, a mantra he intends to impart to his teammates all season. “Since I got here, the offense has carried us. This is my last year; I want the defense to lead the pack. I made the checks and calls last year, so I’m comfortable in the role.”

Akins credits strength coach Josh Storms with helping him add 20 pounds over the off-season and claims he’s actually faster than before he added the muscle. With sophomore Tim Hart and junior Austin Hall back, and with the emergence of sophomore J.J. Russell, look for the Memphis linebackers to decide a game or two.

Norvell signed a five-year contract extension last December that will pay him $13 million through the 2022 season. (Resolution: Let’s wait until at least bowl season to start the hand-wringing over whether a Power Five program will convince Norvell to shred that contract.) Still a few weeks shy of his 37th birthday, the coach is genuinely excited about prospects for the season, and embraces the unknown.

“There are question marks,” he acknowledges. “Who’s going to be the go-to when times are tough? Who will step up and perform at an elite level? I love competition. There are guys who started for our football team last year who are going to have a tough time keeping their position moving forward. Because we’ve recruited at a high level. And players have worked relentlessly to put themselves in a good position.

“We’re a bigger football team,” emphasizes Norvell. “We’re a faster football team. The weight-room numbers, the strength and development have been incredible. Our staff has come together: new faces, new ideas, new energy. Everybody associated with our program is fired up. We know there’s a lot of work in front of us. Challenges will arise. But I know this team is ready.”

“As a program,” adds Pollard, “we have to stay focused on our task, not look too far down the line.” Preseason rankings — and preseason All-Americans — are long forgotten come December.

After four straight winning seasons and a pair of Top 25 finishes, can Memphis be classified as a football school? A football town? Mike Norvell’s a believer: “When you walk down the street and you see people wearing that Memphis logo, yelling ‘Go Tigers!’ . . . We know the importance. It puts us on a national scale. We represent the entire community in how we play. When people ask me to describe Memphis, I say it’s culture and community. Starting in the spring, we have a festival every weekend. What’s exciting for me is that we now get to have seven festivals [at the Liberty Bowl] in the fall. I take pride in that.”

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Sports Tiger Blue

Three Questions About Memphis Tiger Football

CREDIT: Larry Kuzniewski

The 2018 Memphis Tiger football team opens its preseason camp this Friday. Year three of the Mike Norvell era opens with the coach newly signed to a contract extension that could — emphasis, could — keep him on the Liberty Bowl sideline through the 2022 season. Still two months shy of his 37th birthday — he’s a decade younger than a certain, quite popular basketball coach in town — Norvell has 18 wins under his belt and a Top-25 finish for last season’s 10-3 team.

So what’s next? There are far more questions than answers during any training camp. Here are three to get things started.
Larry Kuzniewski

Mike Norvell


How will the Tigers wear the hat of favorites?

In the American Athletic Conference’s preseason media poll, the Tigers were picked to win a second consecutive West Division title, and it wasn’t close (Memphis received 23 first-place votes to four for second-place Houston). We are but six seasons removed from a 2-10 campaign that had Memphis well shy of relevance on the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) landscape. Now the program is in the conversation when New Years Six bowl games are discussed, that lone, precious spot reserved for the top team outside the Power Five leagues.

The Tigers are now a hunted program, circled on the schedules of UCF (the defending AAC champ), Houston, and six other AAC teams. The roster is star-studded, with six first-team all-conference players (according to Athlon), and two — running back Darrell Henderson and kick-return maestro Tony Pollard — getting All-America consideration. Memphis will be heavily favored in five of its first six games, a trip to Navy being the lone roadblock, it appears, to a 6-0 start before UCF visits on October 13th. Can the Tigers motivate themselves from atop the AAC standings? For so long, a pigskin-sized chip has rested on the shoulder of Tiger players come game day. Can a front-runner stay hungry?

Can the Tiger defense win games?

In two years under Norvell, Memphis has alllowed 28.8 and 32.5 yards per game. (Last year’s figure ranked 102nd among 130 FBS programs.) With its explosive offense, Memphis was able to win games last season in which the Tigers allowed 31 points (twice), 38, and 45 (twice). If there’s any drop in offense from a year ago — the Tigers averaged a program-record 45.5 points per game — can the defense earn a win or two?

Cornerback T.J. Carter, only a sophomore, is already a star. Senior linebacker Curtis Akins appears ready to step into the leadership void left by Genard Avery (drafted by the Cleveland Browns). Linebacker Austin Hall and lineman O’Bryan Goodson have received preseason accolades. Perhaps this is the year the Tiger D flexes some muscle in resistance to high-powered attacks like that of UCF (the Knights beat Memphis in last year’s AAC Championship, 62-55). Balance is one of those crutch-words for football coaches (and analysts). New heights could be reached if Memphis finds balance between its offensive and defensive strengths.

Who will quarterback this team?

You didn’t think I’d overlook the most pressing question on the depth chart, did you? The only thing worse than a football team having no quarterback is a football team having two quarterbacks. Between now and the opener (Mercer visits September 1st), Norvell and offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham will have to decide between sophomore David Moore (10 career pass attempts) and junior transfer Brady White (three games for Arizona . . . in 2016). Memphis has been spoiled by it quarterbacks the last four seasons, as Paxton Lynch and Riley Ferguson averaged 3,690 yards and 30 touchdowns over the period (all winning seasons).

Having lost All-America wideout Anthony Miller to the NFL, the Tigers’ 2018 quarterback will be asked to trust the weapons remaining — Henderson, Pollard, Patrick Taylor, and Joey Magnifico to name four — and use a talented, experienced offensive line to chew up yardage. No heroics or record-breaking stat lines required. This will be a fun competition to watch throughout August. But keep that nugget of wisdom in mind: If one of these two signal-callers hasn’t emerged by September, the Tigers have a significant hole in their attack. 

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Sports Tiger Blue

Tigers Go Backyard Bowling

The event we now know as the AutoZone Liberty Bowl has been played every December since 1959, the first six years in Philadelphia and, since 1965, at the stadium here in Memphis that shares its name. Only seven college bowl games have a longer history. The University of Memphis has fielded a football team since 1912, the last 53 years at that very same Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, many of those seasons forgettable, a precious few — like 2017 — bursting with happy memories. For the first time, come December 30th, these two Bluff City gridiron institutions will meet as one. If you can numb the pain from last Saturday in Orlando, this is a perfect marriage.

About that pain. If you have a rooting interest in the Tigers, there’s no way to shake the disappointment of their 62-55(!) loss to UCF in the American Athletic Conference championship. Had the Knights won decisively, as they did in the teams’ first confrontation on September 30th, the Tiger fan base takes a deep breath, licks the wound, and breaks out the bowl-game t-shirts, wherever their 19th-ranked team happens to land. But the Knights did not win decisively. Memphis came up one field goal (albeit from 51 yards) short of the AAC title and a berth in the Peach Bowl, one of the New Year’s Six. The Tigers had a chance in overtime to secure that same prize but couldn’t stop UCF on its first (or second) offensive possession. That close to playing in one of the six most prestigious postseason games in college football. Much will have to happen for the program to get such a chance again.

That loss means a second-tier bowl for the Tigers, at least in harsh, clinical terms. The New Year’s Six is first tier, the two national semifinals (this year the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl) virtually beyond the reach of “Group of Five” programs like Memphis. But remember, we now have 40 bowl games. Second tier? That beats the hell out of a third-tier bowl (say, the Alamo Bowl). For that matter, we can now classify bowl games as fourth-tier (Music City, Pinstripe) or even fifth-tier (Camellia Bowl? New Mexico Bowl?). The 2017 Liberty Bowl will be the most prestigious postseason game Memphis has ever played, and by a considerable margin.

Consider: The Tigers have played in ten bowl games, and only one of them had existed as many as ten years when Memphis appeared in the game. Remember the 1956 Burley Bowl? Of course you don’t. First played in 1945, that game between Memphis State College and East Tennessee State (won by the Tigers) was the last Burley Bowl ever played. The 1971 Pasadena Bowl? For twenty years, that event was called “the Junior Rose Bowl.” Because it was played between junior college programs until 1967. The Tigers played in the third New Orleans Bowl (2003), the sixth GMAC Bowl (2004), the ninth Motor City Bowl (2005). And so on. Two of the recent bowl games Memphis has played in — the Motor City and Miami Beach (2014) — no longer exist.

When Memphis and Iowa State kick things off on December 30th, the Tigers will be playing in the 59th-annual AutoZone Liberty Bowl. No, it’s not a trip to a tropical region or the grand stage of the New Year’s Six. But it will be a prestigious event that just happens to be held on the same turf the Tigers call home. This is like leaving for college, only to return home for summer and falling in love with someone you’d passed in high school halls for years. (I know this magic distinctly.)

And let’s not forget the football team Memphis will be cheering. If it can’t already be called the greatest in the history of the program, it’s now leading the conversation. A win in the Liberty Bowl would give the Tigers 11 for the season, a total never reached in more than a century of Memphis football. The team has scored the most points (572) in program history and needed only 12 games to break the record set in 13 contests by the 2015 team.

And bless the football gods for giving Memphis fans one more chance to see seniors Riley Ferguson and Anthony Miller do extraordinary things in blue and gray. Before the end of the first quarter, Ferguson should become the first Memphis quarterback to pass for 4,000 yards in a season (he needs 29). If Miller catches eight passes, he’ll become the first Memphis receiver to pull down 100 receptions in a season. And 93 yards would give the Christian Brothers High School alum 1,500 for the year. We will not see these numbers regularly, if ever again. Ferguson and Miller, it can be said, are the Finch and Robinson of Memphis football.

Embrace the disappointment, if such is possible. The Peach Bowl was there for the taking. (Note: The first Peach Bowl was played in 1968, three years after the Liberty Bowl game had moved to Memphis.) But a top-20 Memphis football team is playing in one of the top 10 (out of 40!) bowl games in the country. Right here in Memphis. Liberty is a blessing.

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Sports Tiger Blue

Three Thoughts on Tiger Football

CREDIT: Larry Kuzniewski

• How significant to the Memphis program is Saturday’s game against SMU at the Liberty Bowl? For the first time — ever — the Tigers will play a game for a berth in a conference championship. We’ve read and heard lots of “1 and 0” talk since Mike Norvell took the helm two years ago. (This actually preceded him, as Justin Fuente was a master of emphasizing each week as its own mini-season.) But the first goal for any college team is to win its league crown. Memphis tied for the AAC regular-season championship (with two other teams) in 2014, but the AAC didn’t add a 12th team — and a championship game — until a year later. Conference USA held a championship the last eight seasons Memphis was a part of the league (2005-12), but the Tigers never finished a season atop their division. This is a big deal for the U of M.

The 18th-ranked Tigers actually get two chances to clinch the AAC West Division by virtue of a tiebreaker they hold over Houston (thanks to beating the Cougars last month). But if their aim is to climb the rankings and to be in the mix for the “Group of Five” berth in the Peach Bowl on New Year’s Day, the Tigers need to handle the Mustangs this week. SMU has lost consecutive games (to UCF and Navy) but features an offense that ranks third in the AAC in scoring (39.6 points per game) and fourth in total offense (497.1 yards per game). Memphis, of course, ranks even higher in both categories (42.3 and 502.9). There’s nothing wrong with a mid-day shootout the Saturday before Thanksgiving. Rest assured, after a bye week, the Tigers understand all there is to gain.
Larry Kuzniewski

Anthony Miller

• Enjoy Anthony Miller’s last two games at the Liberty Bowl. We won’t see another player like Miller in a while. The former walk-on(!) from Christian Brothers High School has already become the first Tiger to accumulate 3,000 career receiving yards. His fourth catch Saturday will break Duke Calhoun’s Memphis career receptions record (212). With 95 yards, Miller will become the first Tiger to have two 1,000-yard receiving seasons. Three more touchdowns would tie Miller with Dave Casinelli for second-most (36) in Memphis history. He’s accumulated these numbers with the help of two of the program’s finest quarterbacks (Paxton Lynch and Riley Ferguson), but Miller should be the next — and seventh — Tiger to see his number retired. (The man whose records Miller has broken — Isaac Bruce — is already a member of this exclusive club.)

And speaking of retired Tiger numbers, there is now a banner at the Liberty Bowl displaying the honored numbers of Bruce, Casinelli, John Bramlett, Charles Greenhill, Harry Schuh, and DeAngelo Williams. It’s directly under the press box, as though a local scribe had been clamoring for just such a display. It’s a small, but significant step toward further making the oversized Liberty Bowl a college program’s home stadium.

• With the Tennessee and Florida jobs now open, Norvell’s name is going to be discussed amid rumored hires. He’s earned this with a pair of stellar seasons in Memphis, and the buzz will only get louder if Arkansas parts ways with Bret Bielema. But for the next six weeks — certainly the next three — Tiger fans need to find a way to embrace the “now” and not fret over a decision they really cannot control. Focus is a job skill, and in the conversations I’ve had with Norvell over the last two years, he displays the focus of a trauma surgeon. I don’t see him allowing his job status to weigh on the performance (and fate) of his 2017 Memphis team. I can’t imagine compartmentalizing the wooing of other programs, but this is where Norvell’s focus will be most critical. The Tigers may or may not win the AAC championship. They may or may not achieve the unthinkable and play in a “New Year’s Six” bowl game. But I don’t think Norvell’s job status will impact either scenario. Let the chatter happen. And prepare for a “1 and 0” week.

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Sports Tiger Blue

#22 Tigers 41, Tulsa 14

After trading touchdowns with Tulsa over the game’s first 18 minutes, the 22nd-ranked Memphis Tigers pulled away for one of their easier wins of the season Friday night in Oklahoma. Senior quarterback Riley Ferguson completed 27 of 39 passes for 298 yards and four touchdowns (giving him 27 for the season) to give Memphis its fifth straight win and improve the Tigers’ record to 8-1 and 5-1 in American Athletic Conference play. Tulsa drops to 2-8 (1-5).

The victory sets up a chance for Memphis to clinch the AAC’s West Division with a win against SMU on November 18th at the Liberty Bowl. (The Tigers have a bye next week.)

Ferguson connected with sophomore running back Darrell Henderson for a 17-yard touchdown to open the scoring on the Tigers’ second possession of the game. Another sophomore, Tony Pollard, carried a short reception 59 yards into the end zone between a pair of Golden Hurricane scoring drives as the teams played to a 14-14 tie midway through the second quarter. But an 18-yard strike from Ferguson to senior wideout Anthony Miller made it 21-14, Tigers, with 6:49 to play before halftime and Memphis never looked back. With 46 receiving yards, Miller became the first player in Tiger history to pass 3,000 career yards through the air.

Sophomore Patrick Taylor scored on a fourth-down, one-yard plunge after a six-minute drive to give the Tigers a 28-14 lead in the third quarter. The Tigers’ fifth touchdown came on a Ferguson-to-Damonte Coxie touchdown pass of nine yards in the fourth quarter. Freshman kicker Riley Patterson converted a pair of field goals to help give the Tigers their sixth 40-point game of the season.

The Memphis defense held Tulsa to 145 yards rushing, more than 100 yards under the Golden Hurricane’s average. Henderson led the Tiger ground game with 123 yards. The Tigers outgained Tulsa, 525 total yards to 302. Nine different Tiger receivers gained yardage via the passing game, topped by senior Phil Mayhue with four catches for 74 yards.

With the victory, Memphis clinched a fourth straight eight-win season, a streak matched only once before in the program’s history (1960-63).